Because of the temporary nature of the growing season in some areas, requiring the rotation or alternation of crops, it is advantageous to have vertical growth supporting structures (e.g., trellis systems) that are easy to assemble, disassemble, store, and move. There are many structures and systems for the supporting the vertical growth of plants. Various combinations of poles, slats, cords and wires, as well as metal, concrete and wood structures are currently in use.
However, systems that are currently used to maintain vertical growth of certain kinds of plants (e.g., grapes, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.) have drawbacks that have not been addressed. These systems are often difficult and time consuming to assemble. Typically, such systems include a single central set of posts with wires strung therebetween on which the plants may be trellised and trained. The wires are typically wound around each post and then tied or cinched to an end post. Both the installation and disassembly of such central post and wire systems is very labor-intensive and expensive, especially in a large growing operation.
While there are existing designs that are functional to support vertical plant growth, many have disadvantages that reduce their usefulness by being complicated, cumbersome, and difficult to assemble and disassemble. It is therefore desirable to provide devices and systems for installing plant support systems that can be more efficiently installed, removed, and stored.